Berry College Chapels
Berry College Wedding Guidelines
(Revised 07/21/05)
I Policy:
The Chapels' primary purpose is to support the overall program of the college in fulfilling its three-fold mission of educating head, the heart, and the hands. Berry College reserves the right to schedule any or all of its chapels for college-sponsored programs or activities and may do so at any point up to one year in advance. Therefore, certain dates will be unavailable for scheduling weddings. The Chaplain's Office will make every effort to inform inquirers of these dates when the first inquiry is made; however, in cases of inquiries made more than one year in advance, such information may not be available. Therefore, NO wedding may be scheduled in a Berry College chapel earlier than one year in advance. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you may call the office and "pencil in" dates up to two years in advance.
II General Information:
1. You must be affiliated with Berry College in one of the following ways to reserve Frost Chapel or Berry College chapel:
- Students presently enrolled at Berry who have completed one year of study.
- Present or former Berry faculty and staff and their children.
- Alumni of Berry (persons who have completed one full academic year of study and are listed in the Registrar's Office) and their children.
- Members of the Board of Trustees, Board of Visitors, and Official advisory councils and their children.
(Eligibility will be verified through the Office of the Registrar, Alumni Office, or Personnel Department. Any falsification of information will result in the immediate cancellation of the chapel reservation.)
2. No out-door weddings are allowed at any location on campus.
3. Only one wedding is permitted in each chapel per weekend. Weddings may be scheduled any weekday.
4. The minister must be ordained clergy or clergy designated by his or her denomination to officiate at weddings.
5. NO signs or markers are to be posted on the campus. There are adequate signs on campus showing directions to each of the three chapels. Any signs, markers, ribbons, etc. posted is in violation of the
Guidelines and will be removed immediately by the Campus Police.
6. No birds or animals are allowed in the chapels, with the exception of Seeing Eye dogs.
7. No vehicles are allowed on the chapel lawns. All vehicles must park in the designated locations. All
weddings performed on campus must be approved by the Office of the Chaplain. Only marriage ceremonies
pursuant to the state laws of Georgia are permitted.
8. NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ARE PERMITTED ON CAMPUS.
III Reserving a chapel:
Inquiries may be made as to the availability of the chapels up to two years in advance; however, campus weddings will not be scheduled any sooner than one year in advance of the wedding date. Scheduling is done on a first-inquiry basis. All weddings must be scheduled through the Office of the Chaplain (contact person is Sandra Barker).
Chapel Fees: The following is a schedule of Chapel fees effective January 1, 2004:
Berry College Chapel - $600.00
Frost Chapel -$600.00
Barnwell Chapel - $400.00
Total fee is due within two weeks of receiving the application; or one year prior to the wedding. The fee includes a $100.00 cleaning deposit that may be refunded two weeks following the wedding provided all guidelines are met.
*Chapel fee may be subject to change. The fee stated on the approved chapel application will be in effect.
A representative of the Chaplain's Office will inspect the chapel prior to the rehearsal and three hours following the wedding. If the guidelines have not been followed or additional cleaning of the chapel is required, the cleaning deposit will be forfeited or reduced depending on the additional cleanup cost.
IV Application Procedure:
- Reservations for a campus chapel for a wedding is made through the Office of the Chaplain no earlier than one year prior to the wedding date (inquiries can be made as early as two years prior to the date by calling the office 706-368-6901).
- Once a definite date has been decided on, the application will be mailed out or one can be picked up at the Chaplain's Office. The application must be returned to the office within two weeks for the date to be held. Reservation cannot be approved until application is completed and the fee is paid. (It is important that additional plans for the wedding not be made and deposits paid until the chapel confirmation and a copy of the approved application form have been received.)
- Upon receipt of the application and chapel fee, the application will be approved and put on the official chapel calendar. A confirmation letter and a copy of the application will be mailed to the bride. All remaining information (photographer, decorator, caterer, etc.) is due in the Chaplain's Office not later than six weeks prior to the wedding.
V Cancellation Policy:
• If the wedding is cancelled, the chapel fee will be refunded, less $50 processing fee, providing the Chaplain's office is notified of the cancellation 30 days in advance of the wedding date. Otherwise the entire fee is non refundable.
• Falsification of the information regarding Berry affiliation will result in the immediate cancellation of the chapel reservation without refund of the chapel fee.
VI Wedding Receptions:
The Chaplain's Office does not provide any equipment or arrangements for on-campus receptions. Please call Brenda Baldwin in the Alumni Office (706-236-1704) for information regarding the use of the Ford buildings.
VII Responsibilities of the Chaplain's Office:
The Office of the Chaplain will, upon approval of the application , provide:
- A guarantee of the availability of the chapel for the rehearsal and wedding. The Chaplain's Office cannot, however, guarantee what other events will be held on the Berry Campus, nor the amount of traffic, noise, or activity that may occur because of these events.
- Arrangements for Berry Housekeeping to clean the chapel prior to the rehearsal.
- Arrangements for Berry Campus Safety to unlock the chapel and turn on necessary lights. The chapel will be scheduled to be available by 3:00 p.m. the day of the rehearsal and will be unlocked by 8:00 a.m. the day of the wedding. (with the exception of Sundays - chapels are available at 1:00 p.m.)
• Berry Campus Safety will also be responsible for relocking the chapel.
• Berry College is not responsible for items left in the chapels.
The Berry College Chaplain is available on a limited basis to officiate at on-campus wedding ceremonies for Berry College personnel. Requests for such services should be made well in advance and must be made directly to the Chaplain.
VIII Responsibilities of the Bride and Groom:
• Read "Berry College Wedding Guidelines" and abide by all provisions.
• Notify the Office of the Chaplain immediately of any change in information included on the application.
• Be responsible for clean-up after the wedding (this may be done by family, friends, florist, etc., but it is the couple's responsibility and should be completed within three hours following the wedding). Chapels should be left clean and ready for church services.
Basic clean-up includes:
- Sweep & vacuum debris from floors.
- Remove all wax build-up from candelabras and return them to the appropriate storage room.
- Remove all personal & wedding items and clean side rooms.
- Return hymnals and Bibles to the pews if necessary.
- Clean bathrooms & area outside chapel ( remove all trash & trash bags from chapel area .)
• Recover Piano (at College Chapel)
(Cleaning supplies and equipment are not provided by the college and are to be furnished by the wedding party).
• Insure that the decorator/florist, photographer, organist or any others assisting in the wedding abide by the provisions of the "Campus Wedding Guide."
Sound systems : Berry College Chaplain's Office does NOT provide a sound system. The in-house sound system may be used ONLY if contracted and operated by a technician trained and recommended by the Chaplain's office. Payment of an approved Sound Technician is the responsibility of the bridal couple. A portable system may be brought in by the musicians if desired. The use of a sound system is highly recommended for use in Berry College & Frost Chapels.
All three chapels are used for worship services, religion-in-life activities, meetings, individual prayer and meditation, and weddings. You must have direct affiliation with Berry College to use Frost Chapel or Berry College Chapel for a wedding. For more information or to reserve a chapel, call the chaplain's office at (706) 368-6901 or email ssbarker@berry.edu. |